It is common for (online and/or brick and mortar) retailers to use customer loyalty accounts to attract and retain customers. One aspect of such customer loyalty programs is the distribution and use of digital coupons. Digital coupons may be provided to customers in many different ways, e.g., via the retailer's web page, through the retailer's “app” on a mobile device, via an email message directed to the customer, or via an advertisement. Regardless how, the digital coupon is provided, the customer can choose and store (“clip”) the digital coupon in a customer account.
Digital coupons may be similar to paper coupons in that both types of coupons may be utilized on one or more associated products. The products on which the coupon may be applied can be identified using a product code, e.g., a Universal Product Code (UPC) or a Stock Keeping Unit (SKU).
In the case of a paper coupon, the product codes for which the coupon is used may be printed on the paper coupon. In some instances, the product codes printed on the paper coupon may be wrong. For instance, the product code for which the coupon should be valid may have been mistakenly not included on the paper coupon. In such instances, the checkout person at the point of sale can read the paper coupon and may have the authority to apply the paper coupon to a product whose product code is not printed on the paper coupon. Since the customer may discuss whether a paper coupon could or should apply, the customer has a sense of control. This sense of control may be lost with digital coupons which the checkout person is generally unable to override.
Digital coupons may be utilized in a similar manner. The customer shops at a retail store, and when finished, proceeds to a point of sale (POS) terminal. The items the customer has chosen may be based, in part, on the digital coupons stored in their account. When the customer reaches the POS terminal, the customer identifies themselves to access their account, e.g., by entry of a telephone number associated with the customer account. Each digital coupon may have one or more product codes associated therewith. And if the product code of one of the product the customer has chosen to purchase matches a product code associated with one of the digital coupons in the customer account, the digital coupon may be applied.
However, in some situations, the product codes that are associated with a digital coupon may be wrong or incomplete. For instance, a product code that should be included, may be mistakenly not included. And thus, the digital coupon is not applied to the customer's order. In this case, the checkout person may not have access to the digital coupon and may not have the authority to override the POS terminal and apply the coupon. Thus, the customer is mistakenly prohibited from utilizing an otherwise valid coupon.
In addition, a potential sale may be lost if the customer, e.g., during an online order, realizes that a digital coupon is not being utilized and there is no process to raise or resolve the issue.
The present invention is aimed at one or more of the problems identified above.